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Miami's a great port, but there's more to see

Lifeguard station at Miami Beach, Florida.

Photograph by: stadelpeter
, Fotolia.com

The city of Miami, Florida (miamiandbeaches.com) is the undisputed cruise ship capital of the world, with a flotilla of vessels big and small that sail out of the Government Cut nearly every day of the week . Last month, I had the opportunity to linger a while in the "Magic City" - and discovered there's more to do than meets the eye.

One of the biggest surprises was the Miami Children's Museum (miamichildrensmuseum.org). It's utilitarian-sounding name masks two stories of fun for young and old, from a replica bank where kids can play "teller" and learn about money to a mock Carnival cruise ship that teaches kids the importance of travel.

The other surprise was the VIP tour at Jungle Island (jungleisland.com), where I discovered that having little monkeys crawl over you is quite cute and enjoyable.

The Coral Castle (coralcastle.com) - literally a castle built entirely of coral - is an intriguing oddity. It was constructed by Edward Leedskalnin between 1920 and 1940 to commemorate his unrequited love, though no one saw him build the massive structure . The mystery of how the castle was built endures to this day.

No trip to Miami is complete without a visit to the glades where the Everglades Alligator Farm (everglades.com) comes into play, taking guests on an exhilarating airboat trip over the alligator-infested waters . It's in the middle of nowhere, with the Robert Is Here (robertishere.com) fruit stand. I have never had a better fruit milkshake, and Robert has been selling fresh fruits since starting his business in 1959.

If you want to stay within reach of the city, but are looking for something a little more Zen, head to the Turnberry Isle Resort (turnberryislemiami.com), halfway between Miami and Fort Lauderdale.

If you're into the beach scene, the Ritz-Carlton Key Biscayne (ritzcarlton.com) fits the bill. The 450-room luxury property is on 12 acres of topical gardens and is remarkably family-friendly.

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